Trellus Same-Day Local Delivery & Marketplace announces the close of its seed funding round. The Long Island-based startup, which offers a service to assist small retail and home-based businesses competing in the fast-growing online delivery market, secured $2 million from private investors.
The seed funding round, which was oversubscribed and closed within just four days, will help Trellus focus on its next phase of growth. Trellus is expanding beyond its same-day delivery service with plans to launch a local marketplace to help small businesses compete with big-box retailers and Amazon. The Trellus Marketplace will provide merchants with an easy-to-use e-commerce tool, allowing Trellus to not only deliver products but sell them as well.
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“Trellus is designed to help Long Island’s small businesses compete against e-commerce behemoths, by driving new customers to merchant websites and providing on-demand deliveries with a network of drivers,” said Adam Haber, CEO and co-founder. “Consumer demand for fast and convenient local delivery from their favorite stores is growing, but too many independent retailers lack the ability and resources to compete on time-savings.”
Launched in early 2021, Trellus has grown steadily from the startup’s Nassau County headquarters, expanding into Suffolk and Queens, with Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Greater New York City area on the horizon. At present time, 130 Long Island businesses are using Trellus same-day delivery service and that number is consistently growing. Businesses currently on the platform range from specialty goods, such as florists, chocolatiers, and toy shops, to professional services, including attorneys and accountants. Liquor stores and breweries are especially drawn to Trellus for the platform’s tracking and photo proof of delivery, complete with ID scan and signature. Customers likewise receive real-time tracking texted to their phone, so they know exactly when to expect their same-day delivery.
Rather than dipping into small business profits per transaction, Trellus provides its same-day delivery service by charging merchants a predictable low monthly subscription fee and a flat delivery fee based on mileage.
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“The proprietary platform and technology we are building is centered around the needs of small and home-based businesses to make online sales and same-day local delivery a simple and efficient process,” said JR Jensen, Trellus CTO and co-founder. “We are gathering insights and feedback daily from merchants, working non-stop to update our platform to solve the day-to-day logistical pain points small businesses face.”
In addition to expanding its same-day delivery platform, Trellus plans to grow its sales and customer success teams, who will provide best-in-class experiences for merchant partners.
“Trellus is here to connect small businesses with a faster and more affordable way to deliver their products. We are building a team to keep up with our rapid growth,” said Brian Berkery, COO and co-founder. “As our network grows, we are offering exceptional driver compensation and competitive sales associate opportunities with unlimited potential for growth.”
Trellus will also continue investing in search engine optimization and consumer-facing social media to draw customers to local merchants online. It’s all part of the company’s mission to serve small businesses with real solutions that make a real difference to their bottom line, thereby uplifting local economies and keeping jobs in local communities.